International Holocaust Remembrance Day is meant for everyone (no matter their religion or ethnicity) to remember the victims of the Holocaust.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which takes place every January 27, might sound similar to Yom Hashoah, but these are actually two different occasions.
The UN General Assembly designated that International Holocaust Remembrance Day would fall on January 27th each year to mark the day that the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp was liberated in 1945.
In comparison, Yom Hashoah is the Jewish memorial day for the Holocaust, marked on the 27th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, typically in April. In 2025, Yom Hashoah will begin at sundown on April 23, 2025, and end at sundown on April 24, 2025.
Yom Hashoah is the Jewish community’s day for internal reflection. It’s an opportunity to educate children, share stories, honor the victims of the Holocaust, and recognize the accomplishments of survivors.
You might be wondering why the names are different. Shoah is a biblical Hebrew word for “catastrophe.” Whereas, Holocaust is a greek term that means “a burnt sacrificial offering to a god.” The word Shoah is used for Yom Hashoah because it centers the experience of the Jewish community.
We use these days for internal reflection and we vow never to forget.
